Lacrosse

When developing your players for maximum performance, what really pushes them to an elite level?

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) recently published a report based on a survey distributed to nearly 2,000 U.S. Olympic athletes. The survey intended to gauge what the USOC could do to improve the quality and effectiveness of programs focused on talent identification and development.

What do the Olympics have to do with your team of players you don’t choose and whose motivation varies? This information can help coaches of any sport and any age group guide their teams to success.

According to the USOC report, the top two reasons Olympic athletes gave for pursuing elite levels of performance were “intrinsic love of activity” (they liked being active) and love of the sport. What does that tell me as a coach? It’s my job to get my players to love being active and to love lacrosse.

It’s my job to make it fun.

Format your practices so that the mindset of the athletes becomes, “I want to go to practice,” as opposed to the all-too-often-heard, “I have to go to practice.” Get your players addicted to lacrosse. Implement drills with a fast pace, high touch counts and opportunities for frequent participation.

Another factor contributing to the desire to achieve at the highest level, according to the USOC report, was multi-sport athleticism. College lacrosse coaches almost universally prefer athletes who play multiple sports in high school. The data collected by the USOC reinforces that preference. Most Olympians did not specialize in their sport until very late in their development. Even then, some continued to participate in other sports.

It is downright painful to hear a 9-year-old say he or she solely plays lacrosse year-round, switching between teams based on the season. Research shows the best athletes in the world participated in at least two sports through high school. Ninety-seven percent of USOC respondents who followed that path credited multi-sport participation directly for their success.

If you ask your players to commit to lacrosse full time, you are holding them back and limiting their upside.

In his book, “Outliers,” Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwell popularized the 10,000-hour rule that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. We might be tempted to interpret this to mean we must constantly practice one thing to become excellent at it. But would you want an athlete who 10,000 hours playing wall ball or one who divided 10,000 hours between basketball, hockey and lacrosse?

We can teach kids to catch and throw. Some say we can’t teach them to be athletes. I refute that. If we encourage and expect multi-sport participation, we indirectly teach them to be athletes.

The USOC surveyed more than 300 athletes who competed in one or more Olympics between 2000 and 2012 to identify the factors and circumstances surrounding their success.

The findings indicate that Olympians were involved in an average of three sports per year until age 14, which belies the notion that early specialization is critical to long-term success. Multi-sport play appeared to be beneficial to these Olympians.

Over to you. How would you identify the factors that influence your lacrosse player’s sport decision? Is it one or more of the eight above, or something else? Let us know in the comments section.

Harrow Sports has turned pink and is partnering with The National Foundation for Cancer Research’s sports fundraising campaign Play4TheCure. Harrow is joining the effort to empower athletes and coaches by selling Play4theCure t-shirts and donating 10% of the proceeds to The National Foundation for Cancer Research. Harrow Sports will also be donating a $250 gift card to Harrow Sports for the team that raises the most money this season!

Play4theCure was founded in 2006 by Christine K. Reinprecht, coach of the Mystx Field Hockey Club in Feasterville, PA and a current board member of USA Field Hockey. Play4theCure began as an annual indoor field hockey tournament to raise money for the fight against breast cancer. The initiative has since expanded to include recreational programs, as well as middle school, high school and collegiate teams.

“I am thrilled Harrow Sports is joining the Play4theCure Team,” said Tina Reinprecht, Founder of Play4theCure. “Harrow Sports has a rich tradition of supporting field hockey programs at multiple levels but especially at the grass roots level. It’s no surprise that they recognize Play4theCure’s grass roots participation and be eager to assist our mission to help fund cancer research.”

“Harrow is thrilled to partner with NFCR’s Play4theCure to provide additional resources to help raise awareness and motivate the field hockey community to raise funds for cancer research,” said Alli Tanner, Field Hockey Brand Manager of Harrow Sports. “Play4theCure is an impressive program. The ability for teams to be a part of something bigger than themselves is truly incredible. We are honored to be the newest member of the team and look forward to contributing to the cause.”

Harrow Sports is excited to announce the newest addition to the women’s performance shirt line, the Freedom Tank. It is an advanced semi-fitted tank that will elevate any training session. With its four-way stretch and smooth, chafe-resistant design, it is sure to maximize performance without sacrificing comfort. Comprised of 89% polyester and 11% spandex, the Freedom Tank can uphold the toughest of elements.

The athletic racer back and mesh panel design unlocks mobility and is perfect for layering. The Freedom Tank is fitted for yoga classes, long running trails and team workouts. This tank offered in aqua, black and white is definitely a get-one-in-every-color kind of shirt!

Harrow Sports is proud to announce Katrina Dowd, the latest addition to our Sport management team. The Three - time D1 National Champion will be heading up our Women’s Lacrosse division. Katrina brings years of experience on the field, and a decorated sports career to Harrow – qualities that will ensure that we continue to bring innovative, progressive and versatile products to the lacrosse field.At Harrow, our consultants are truly spectacular athletes. Hand-picked from D1 colleges and professional circuits, we believe these players are truly suited to test, refine and develop some of the most advanced sports equipment on the market. We continue this tradition by welcoming Katrina to our ranks, an outstanding player with a formidable record.

Katrina is one of the top lacrosse players in the nation. By graduation, she had won three division 1 national championships, bringing 77 goals and 109 points into her final year. As the #4 goal scorer in her college’s history, she rounded out her college career as Female Athlete of the Year with an incredible 267 points and 209 goals.

Often cited as a player who performs under pressure; her fearless, unwavering approach earned her the 2010 IWCLA attacker of the year. In Katrina’s own words, “Great players step up in the toughest situations, and that's tournament time”.

In addition to her championship wins, Katrina was a finalist for the coveted Tewaaraton Award, standing alongside the top 25 players in the nation. She was also one of four nominees for the 2010 Honda Lacrosse Award.

As a junior, Katrina played all 23 games, starting in 20. Her 75 goals, thirteen assists and 88 points shattered her own previous records, earning her the title of 2009 NCAA tournament MVP and IWCLA first team all – American. Titles that were truly earned, Katrina is a three time NCAA all-tournament team selection, scoring a record 22 goals in the 2009 NCAA tournament.

In case you’re reading this, recognize her name, but can’t place where, Katrina’s media highlight was her incredible no look, over the shoulder goal which was featured on ESPN’s highlight reel. You can see the footage of this unbelievable shot at our youtube channel, youtube.com/harrowsportsvids

Katrina brings this same dedication and relentlessness to Harrow. At the forefront of her game, her drive and passion will ensure our women’s lacrosse range will continue to develop as some of the best equipment in the world.

We at Harrow are excited to have Katrina on board, and look forward to the incredible developments she will surely bring to Harrow, and to women’s lacrosse.

We recently returned from the 2010 World Lacrosse Championships in Manchester, England where we spent three days at our Harrow Lacrosse booth in the main sales tent. This event was extremely well run by the ELA and our hats go off to Monkhouse for creating a very welcoming and successful sales area for people to visit, shop for lacrosse gear and socialize.In addition to the physical presence we had at the games, we were well represented by a number of top National lacrosse teams. Among the teams that Harrow Sports sponsored, spectators saw Japan, Italy, Suisse, Netherlands, Argentina, Slovakia, South Korea, and many masters lacrosse teams all sporting Harrow Gear and/or Apparel. The official Harrow lacrosse uniforms that were worn by team Argentina were some of the most complimented lacrosse uniforms at the event. All the teams looked great.

Harrow Sports International Sales Manager Rose Kiernan represented Harrow Sports at the World Lacrosse Championship. "I was excited to participate in the Manchester games and to have met so many great people in the short time I was able to attend. As a company, Harrow Sports hopes to continue expanding our business relationships deep into the international market. This event was a great place to start."

For additional information about Harrow Sports and Harrow's International Sales, please contact Rose Kiernan at rkiernan@harrowsports.com

Some exciting drama in the Supermasters winner’s bracket. The Quicksilver Elder Statesmen needed overtime to get past the Adidas Magic Wands 7-6 yesterday. It was a tight match today, tied 2-2 at the beginning of the second quarter. However, in the end, the Elder Statesmen prevailed in an 8-7 win!

Harrow Sports Western Region Manager, Bill Edell [pictured here], is a member of the Quicksilver Elder Statesman team